Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on VIRT. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Virtu Financial from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Virtu Financial from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $40.00 price objective (up from $38.00) on shares of Virtu Financial in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Virtu Financial from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded Virtu Financial from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $43.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $37.25.

Virtu Financial Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Virtu Financial stock traded up $0.03 on Friday, hitting $41.32. The company had a trading volume of 242,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,184,246. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $39.09 and a 200-day moving average of $37.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.46. Virtu Financial has a twelve month low of $21.55 and a twelve month high of $44.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.68.

Virtu Financial (NASDAQ:VIRT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $497.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $444.23 million. Virtu Financial had a return on equity of 27.39% and a net margin of 9.61%. The company's revenue was up 30.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.76 EPS. Research analysts predict that Virtu Financial will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Virtu Financial

In other Virtu Financial news, Director John Nixon sold 6,965 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.82, for a total transaction of $298,241.30. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,923 shares in the company, valued at $1,452,582.86. This trade represents a 17.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Douglas A. Cifu sold 177,561 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.88, for a total value of $6,903,571.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 231,306 shares in the company, valued at $8,993,177.28. The trade was a 43.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 362,846 shares of company stock worth $14,079,615 in the last quarter. 46.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Virtu Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VIRT. Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Virtu Financial by 8.4% during the first quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 176,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,721,000 after purchasing an additional 13,699 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Virtu Financial by 132.8% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 51,612 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,966,000 after buying an additional 29,446 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Virtu Financial by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 912,243 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,775,000 after acquiring an additional 10,677 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Virtu Financial by 13.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 226,233 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,624,000 after purchasing an additional 26,743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Virtu Financial in the first quarter valued at $1,934,000. 45.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Virtu Financial Company Profile

Virtu Financial, Inc operates as a financial services company in the United States, Asia Pacific, Canada, EMEA, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Market Making and Execution Services. Its product includes offerings in execution, liquidity sourcing, analytics and broker-neutral, capital markets, and multi-dealer platforms in workflow technology.